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Proposed changes in the diagnostic manual used by psychiatrists would describe what attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder looks like in adults and teens. The revised "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" would lower the number of symptoms to four from six needed to diagnose the condition in adults, and would likely increase the number of adults seen as having the disorder.

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The estimated number of youths diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using the revised third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was 3% lower compared with using the DSM-IV criteria, Australian researchers found. The review in the journal Pediatrics also showed a higher rate of ADHD diagnoses in the Middle East than in North America.

A study in Pediatrics found some pediatricians who diagnose attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children fail to check the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, put too much emphasis on medication, and fail to get parent and teacher input on day-to-day behaviors of the child. Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital reviewed almost 1,600 patient charts and found 93% of children were prescribed medication for ADHD and only 13% also received therapy.

Proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association, could lead to more students being diagnosed as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, columnist and blogger Mark Phillips writes in a blog post. While these changes could allow more students with impairments to qualify for insurance benefits, they also could lead to more children being medicated for ADHD, a concern for many teachers and parents alike, he writes.

Educators at a school in an impoverished area of Indianapolis say many kindergartners have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or exhibit signs of it. Disruptive behaviors common with ADHD also are seen by experts as being associated with growing up in chaotic environments, such as the area's poverty-ridden neighborhoods. Teachers say the effects on the classroom are further complicated by
the high numbers of students who do not receive their daily ADHD medication.

Some 700,000 Canadian adults are estimated to have ADHD, but many have not been diagnosed, according to the British Columbia Medical Association. A better system is needed to identify and treat adults with the disorder, said a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD.